6 FIRST PRINCIPLES OF CONFORMATION. 



let US take the bulldog (Fig. lo). On examining these 

 animals, we shall find that the limbs (especially the 

 hind ones, from which is derived the greater part of 

 the forward propulsion) of the gallopers are much longer 

 in proportion to the animal's height, than those of the 

 representatives of strength. We see this fact best illus- 

 trated when we compare individuals of the same 

 species or family, like the greyhound (Fig. 8) and bulldog 

 (Fig. lo), or the cheetah (Fig. 3) and tiger (Fig. 5), which 

 is the strongest member of the cat tribe. A greyhoimd 

 (Fig. 8) and a race-horse (Fig. 9) possess many points 

 in comrrion, and the same may be said about a bulldog 

 (Fig. 10) and a heavy-draught horse (Fig. 11). We also 

 obtain good examples among horned cattle, in the 

 Indian trotting bullock (Fig. 6), and the Indian heavy 

 draught bull (Fig. 7), whose sex is indicated by the 

 large size of his hump. Special length of hind limb 

 is well shown in the hare and in the lynx (Fig. 4), both 

 of which are animals of great speed. As it is not the 

 custom to breed men with reference to their physical 

 development, we do not find the difference in question 

 so well marked in them as in the lower animals ; yet 

 we can note among "sprinters" and wrestlers the 

 working of this principle. We should bear in mind 

 that the muscles of the limbs of the horse, ox, buffalo 

 and antelope, unlike those of the dog and cat tribe, 

 are, practically speaking, continued only in the form 

 of tendons, below the knees and hocks. 



From the examples cited of animals of great strength 

 and those of high speed, we may conclude that the former 

 are distinguished by a long body and short legs ; and the 

 latter, by a short trunk and long extremities. I am 

 here assuming that the length of the body is taken com- 

 paratively with that of the legs, and without reference 

 to the proportions of the body itself. 



We can also observe from the photographs before 

 us, that the limbs of speedy quadrupeds are proportion- 



